Cancún, Quintana Roo — Police located a teenager unharmed after scammers attempted to extort his family by simulating his kidnapping in a scheme known as virtual kidnapping, authorities announced.
The incident began when a woman reported receiving threatening phone calls from unknown individuals demanding money while claiming her son was in danger. Simultaneously, she began receiving messages from her son’s phone number, which appeared to confirm the kidnappers’ story and heightened alarm.
Officers from the Specialized Missing Persons Search Unit activated protocols to locate the teenager, focusing their search in the area where he was last seen. They found the young man near a shopping center in the Supermanzana 96 neighborhood within a short timeframe, with no physical injuries.
According to his account, he received a phone call with instructions that tricked him into leaving his school and cutting off communication. This isolation allowed the criminals to contact his family and simulate a kidnapping to demand ransom.
Authorities confirmed this was a case of virtual kidnapping, a scam where perpetrators isolate a victim while pressuring their relatives for money. In this instance, no payment was made because police intervention clarified the situation before the financial demand could be completed.
After being located, the teenager was safeguarded by officers and reunited with his family. Officials confirmed no physical harm resulted from the incident.
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